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A Tale of Love and Loyalty
A story based on the tale of Hachiko. Chapter One Ueno clutched his thick books and overflowing papers under his wing. Work was long and the train station was crowded, as it usually was after dark. He looked around the platform, his train having just arrived not too long ago. The cement was cold under his claws as his tan coat billowed in the breeze. He sighed and began to walk forward as the train left and another pulled in. As the train jerked to a stop, a crate tumbled out onto the platform with a loud thunk. Professor Ueno's ears twitched and he turned around, eyes scanning the dark and relatively empty train station. "Hmm?" He shrugged and continued his way into the station. A plank on the crate fell off, loosening the mesh on one side. A young dog crawled out of the box and shook the straw from its fur. With a curled, wagging tail, the little dog ran and slipped through the door into the station. The inside of the station was loud and crowded, just as the outside was a few minutes prior. Dragons checked in and checked out, doors flew open in every corner, and exhausted dragons trudged home with their belongings slipping from under their wings. The dog wagged its tail a few times and barked, its tongue hanging out of its mouth. It looked near the door and saw the pale sheen of Professor Ueno's white scales. It barked again and ran at the door. The commotion in the train station rendered Ueno oblivious to the puppy's barking and he passed through the door, leaving open slightly. The pale golden-brown dog squeezed through the cracked door and barked. Ueno's ears shot up and he turned around. The little dog jumped up on Ueno's leg and began to lick him. He smiled at the puppy, scooping him up and bringing him to the bench right outside the door. He sat with the puppy on the bench, stroking him as dragons passed through the door. None of them claimed the small puppy. The night was cold and Ueno's breath hung in the air as a pale white cloud for a moment with each exhale. He looked down at the curly-tailed puppy asleep in his lap. Everyone's left. he thought. He nudged the puppy, earning a look and a sleepy yawn. He looked at his watch. 11:45. "I suppose you can come home with me until I figure out what to do with you." He tucked his papers into a small leather back he had slung over his shoulder and took off his coat. "Here," he said, wrapping the puppy in it. "This will help keep you warm. The cold doesn't bother me that much." Once finally home, Ueno's wife greeted him. "Why so late, Hidesaburo? You should have been home an hour and a half ago." The puppy jumped from Ueno's coat and roughly tumbled onto the floor. "An Akita puppy? Where did you get an Akita puppy?" Ueno scrambled to pick the puppy up and put him back in him coat. "Someone abandoned him at the train station. I figured he could stay here just until we figure out what to do with him." She pressed her claws into her nose bridge. "How are we going to take care of a dog?" she stated, clearly annoyed. He set the puppy on a chair and wrapped the coat around him again. "It'll only be for a little while. Someone's bound to claim him eventually. Until then, he can stay here, Asuka. He won't take up that much space." Asuka sighed as a light flicked on upstairs. "Daddy? Mommy? What's going on?" a small voice whispered. "Nothing, Izumi. Just go back to bed, sweetheart." Asuka sighed. Izumi rubbed her eyes and looked down at the chair. "Daddy, why is there a puppy? Where did he come from?" Ueno ran his talon in between her horns. "This puppy's going to be staying with us for a while. Just until we find his owners." She pat the Akita on the head. "What's his name, daddy?" "Uh... Um, Hach... Hachi, uh, Hachiko. His name is Hachiko." Izumi yawned. "That's a pretty name." Asuka led her back upstairs. "Come on, sweetie. Time to go back to bed." Ueno sighed and pet Hachiko on the head. "Don't worry, buddy. We'll find your owner eventually. And if not, maybe we could keep you. Huh, does that sound like a good plan, Hachi?" He wagged his creamy brown tail happily, tucking his nose into the coat. He chuckled. "Silly puppy," he said, ruffling Hachiko's fur. "I think we're going to be buddies." Chapter Two A few weeks had passed and Hachiko was still staying with the professor. Still no one came forward to claim him. Izumi ran, giggling, into the kitchen, Hachiko trailing behind her, his tail wagging. She grabbed the heavy bag of dog food from the pantry and carried it over to his bowl. "Ready to eat, Hachi?" she said, attempting to pour the food into the bowl, getting it all over the floor. The puppy barked happily, eating the food Izumi spilled. Asuka walked in and noticed the mess. She sighed. "Izumi, I'll clean this up. You go get ready for school, ok." she said, grabbing a broom and dustpan. Izumi smiled. "Hi, daddy." she said joyfully as she ran past Ueno. Ueno was finishing putting on his tie, a briefcase in one talon. "Morning, Asuka." Asuka looked at him, annoyed. "This is exactly what I was talking about. Dogs are messy. And I can't afford to keep cleaning up after him." She sighed again, dumping the dusty food into the trashcan. "Are you sure no one has come forward? Anyone?" Ueno shook his head. "No. I put fliers all over town, especially near the train station and still, nothing." he said, grabbing the cup of coffee resting on the counter. "You don't suppose he's a stray, do you?" Asuka gave a light scoff. "No one in their right mind would abandon an Akita. They're incredibly expensive. What if someone thinks we stole him? We could end up in prison, or worse." Ueno patted the puppy on his head. "If someone asks, we'll tell them what really happened. They can't arrest us if we're telling the truth." He looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It read 6:30. "I have to go. I'll be late if I don't catch the 6:45 train." Asuka leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. "Good luck today, Honey." Ueno took a sip of his coffee and set the cup back on the counter. "Thank you, sweetheart." he said, throwing on his leather coat and walking toward the front door. Izumi ran down the stairs, nearly tripping on her tail. "Bye, daddy." she said, standing on her tip-toes to kiss goodbye. Ueno smiled at her, ruffling her scales. "Bye, baby." he said, opening the door. Hachiko ran to the door, barking and wagging his tail. He reached down to pat the puppy on the head. "I'll see you when I get home, Hachi." The dog barked again, his pink tongue hanging out of his mouth. Chapter Three The day had been exhausting. It was days like this that made Ueno want to retire early. He clocked out his train card and walked toward the front door, a cold breeze hitting him in the face as he fought to get out with the seething crowd. As he stepped outside of the train station, Ueno noticed something that confused him completely. Hachiko was sitting on the edge of the landscaping outside the station. When he saw the professor, he wagged his tail and ran toward him. "Hachi, what are you doing here?" he asked as the Akita puppy jumped up to try and lick his face. "Did you really come all this way by yourself?" Hachiko barked, panting and wagging his tail. Ueno smiled at him, scooping him up to carry him home. As he walked through the front door of his home, Asuka ran forward. "Ueno, Hachiko is gone. I-I left the door open and he-" Ueno set down Hachiko on the floor. "Asuka, calm down. He's here." Asuka calmed down. "But how? He was gone." "He was at the train station. He was waiting for me." Asuka stared, dumbfounded. WIP Category:Content (Queen Seaglass of the Seawings) Category:Fanfictions